Chapter Thirty-Nine
RAVEN
“Why can’twe stay here forever and ever, Mummy,” Jannaasks.
“Because this is not our home.” We are living in Nikolai’s home in Surrey and Janna has been having a grand ole time, exploring the massive house and grounds, playing with their dog and being taken for rides on their horses.
“But I love it here,” she moans.
“I know you do, but how would you like to live in a house by the sea? As soon as you step out of the front door you step on to the beach.”
Her eyes widen. “Oh, Mummy, canwe?”
“Yes, we’ll go there in a week’stime.”
“Is that in twodays?”
“Nope, that is in seven days. Count it on your fingers.”
She starts counting using her chubby fingers and my heart feels as if it will break with love for her. She shows me seven fingers.
“Well done, darling.”
“Mummy, can we take one of the ponies from here? They have so many I don’t think anybody will notice.”
“Of course they will notice. When you take something without asking permission that is stealing.”
“Shall I ask Star? I don’t think she willmind.”
“No, you cannot ask Star. Can we please stop talking about ponies?”
“All right.”
“Raven,” Betty, one of Star’s staff calls.
I turn around.
“Do you mind if we take Janna to the village?”
I smile. “Of course.” Everybody just loves Janna and she is becoming so spoilt here, but it makes me happy to see her showered with so much love and attention.
“Be a good girl,” I say and kissher.
“I will,” she promises and skips away with Betty. As they leave the room I hear her say, “Can I have ice cream, Betty?”
“You can have anything you want,” Bettysays.
I stand up and open the door to the adjoining room. I tip-toe to the bed. Dragan is still asleep. His face looks pale. As I sit on the chair next to him, it creaks and his eyes are suddenly open and alert. “Hey, Beautiful,” he mumbles.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you up,” I whisper.
“If I can wake up to the sight of you for the rest of my life, I will count myself the luckiest man alive.”
“Let’s see if you’re still saying that in a year’s time when you are no longer incapacitated,” I tease.
“I’ll show you incapacitated. Is that door locked?”
I giggle. “If you’re so virile go check it yourself.”
He makes to sit up and I stop giggling and lean forward, putting my hand on his arm worriedly. “Hey, don’t do that. You’ll tear your stitches.”
He lies back down and shoots me a seductive grin. “How about a strip tease?”
“How about some stimulating conversation instead?” I counter.
“How long are you going to keep thisup?”
“Until you get better,” I say primly.
“Just flash me your boobs, then,” he says with a naughtywink.
I look at him sternly. “Look you. I’m not taking any chances with you. The doctor told me about the risk of tearing your stitches.”
“You’re worried about my stitches tearing, I’m worried about my balls exploding. I’m so turned on by you all the time and I can’t do a damn thing about it. You come in here in your sexy little cropped tops and your tight jeans and you lean over me and brush your body against mine and you expect me not to respond.” He grasps my wrist in his hand. “Raven, I want you so bad I don’t think I can carry on if I don’t haveyou.”
“Nice try. NO!”
“You’re a hard woman, RavenHill.”
“Not as hard as that bullet they pulled out of your chest,” I say referring to the bullet Nikolai shot into the area just above his heart. If I had known that was the plan I would have been terrified and never agreed to it. God, to think. If he had missed. At first, I was almost hysterical when they brought him back bleeding and almost dead. I didn’t understand why Nikolai had to shoot him in the first place.
Then Star explained it tome.
The plan was for Viktor to think that Nikolai had helped him by shooting Dragan and killing him. Of course, since Nikolai’s bullet was in Dragan’s body, it was quite in order for him to insist that he would dispose of the body himself to ensure his bullet did not end up where it shouldn’t. No one understands paranoia better than the Mafia.
Later that evening when I was talking to Dragan and I asked him about that moment when he had to stand there and allow Nikolai to shoot him, he admitted that for one second when Nikolai lifted the gun and aimed it at him, he didn’t know if Nikolai would betray him in favor of his Russian friends, and not just shoot to wound but to kill. When he said that I shivered to think what he had been through for me, forus.
The plan now was that we would stay here until Dragan had healed a little, then we would quietly fly to a tiny island Dragan owns. We will stay there until Viktor is toppled from his perch. Once he is gone we will be safe to come back to England.
“Why not kill Viktor?” I asked, confused that they had let himlive.
Star explained that Viktor is a fool compared to any of the men who would have stepped in to fill Sergei’s shoes if Viktor too had been killed that day. Nikolai and Dragan knew it would be much harder to persuade them into believing the lie that the gardener and the other staff cowering in the house saw. That Nikolai had shot and killed Dragan.
I don’t know what I would have done without Star. She made me feel petty for the way I held a grudge against her all those years. That time when I was sick with worry she couldn’t do enough. She even sat up with me during the night. We talked a lot. We held each other and cried because we had been stupid enough to let a man get between us. I’ve always loved Star, even when we were not on speaking terms, I could never hate her or not wish her well. She is my sister, pure and simple, just like Cindy.
I look down at Dragan, my beautiful blond man, sleeping peacefully in the gloom, and love and gratitude flows through mybody.
“It’s dark in here. Will you open the curtains just a bit?” heasks.
“Of course.” I go over to the window, draw the curtain halfway and come to stand by hisbed.
“Will you reach for my water?” heasks.
I lean over him to get the glass. In a flash his hand comes out and grabs me. I squeal with surprise as I am lifted off my feet. The next I know I am lying on top of him. I look at him in horror. “My god, Dragan. Your stitches.”
“Fuck the stitches, Raven. If they tear, just give me a needle and thread, and I’ll sew them up myself.”
“You’re crazy.”
“Yeah, that’s right. I’m going ape shit crazy over your blue eyes and black hair here. Do a sick man a favor and toss him a quick kiss, willyou?”
His breath is hot and delicious against my ear. He has no idea I’m dying to make love with him again. Lying on him like this is just pure temptation, but the last thing I want to do is hurt him. I’m not an animal, I canwait.
“Just one quick peck?” Iask.
“Of course. It’s not like I can do much in my condition.”
I dip my face and let my lips touch his. It is supposed to be a chaste kiss, but his hand tightens on my body and pulls me deeper into the bed. Now I am lying over hisbody.
“Your thigh,” Iwarn.
“Forget about my thigh. Feel this,” he says and grinds me against his cock. Thick, hot, and throbbing it digs into my flesh. Desire ricochets through my body, and fire runs through my veins. This thing with him … it’s so hard to resist. I’ve never felt like this before. His palm is between my legs, the heat from it growing, maddeningme.
I know I shouldn’t.
I lift my head and stare at his lips. “You said one quick …” I begin.
“I talk too fucking much,” he growls and claims my mouth again.
This time I don’t protest.